by Lucy M. Young
The art of making bread is ages old -
Thousands of years ago 'twas made
By women of ancient Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Babylon.
Unleavened bread was made by Israelite women
During their flight from Pharaoh's cruel bondage.
Housewives were baking bread
When Mount Vesuvius poured tons of ash and molten rock
On unsuspecting Pompeii.
It is the staff of life,
The staple food of a million generations.
Sarah, Rebecca, Hannah, Rachel, Martha
Baked their fragrant loaves by open fires
To feed their families;
And Jesus broke the bread of life with His disciples
Before Gethsemane.
There's a deep religious connotation
In the humble art of making bread -
A soul-deep feeling, difficult to understand
Or explain.
Today, as I mix and knead and bake my bread;
And when like incense its aroma fills the house,
I think of all those women of the past
Whose work-worn hands performed this simple task.
In spirit I am close to them;
And just as they, so long ago, did lift their hearts in gratitude to God,
I, too, sincerely thank Him for our daily bread.
Woodsmoke and Cardamom 